Cowboys, Carter pleased with opener

OAKLAND, Calif. {AP} Even though it was just the preseason opener, Quincy Carter gave glimpses of why the Dallas Cowboys think he can be the long-term replacement for Troy Aikman.

The second-round draft pick already dubbed by owner Jerry Jones as the team's quarterback of the future made an impressive pro debut Saturday night, completing 9-of-15 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in a 21-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

"Going into the game I told myself I just wanted to relax and let it all go," Carter said.

Carter tied the game at 7 in the third quarter with a 56-yard touchdown pass to Chris Brazzell, then put Dallas ahead early in the fourth quarter with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Bashir Yamini.

The pass to Brazzell came on third-and-15 and the lob to Yamini was made while scrambling. Both receivers made nice moves, too, as Brazzell overcame a pass interference call on Oakland's Eric Johnson and the 6-foot-3 Yamini leaped over a pack of defenders.

"That was real impressive," Jones said of Carter's performance.

The Cowboys have been criticized for drafting Carter so high and for having such high hopes. He didn't seem to be helping himself in practices with wobbly passes and sloppy play.

But on Saturday night, the former Georgia star looked like a different person.

"Well, I love to compete and sometimes in practice you don't get the full level of competition," he said. "My practice habits are going to get much better. But when you go to a game-type situation like tonight, it's more broken down and I can just go out and relax and play football."

Starting quarterback Tony Banks completed 5 of 9 passes for 36 yards against Oakland's starting defense despite not having Emmitt Smith behind him, his best blockers in front of him or his three best receivers  Joey Galloway, Raghib Ismail and tight end Jackie Harris  on the field. While he didn't lead any scoring drives, he had no turnovers. He was sacked once and turned another collapsed pocket into a six-yard gain and a first down.

"I liked Tony's poise," coach Dave Campo said. "I thought he made some nice reads and some good throws. I was also impressed with the way he handled himself after taking some shots."

Brazzell caught four passes for 90 yards and Troy Hambrick, who started at running back, had 30 yards on five carries. The 245-pounder who spent last season on the practice squad went for 11 yards on Dallas' first play and had another double-digit gain.

"I knew Emmitt wasn't going to play this much in preseason, so it was time for me," said Hambrick.

Duane Hawthorne, the nickel cornerback trying to unseat Izell Reese from the first team, knocked away a pass in the end zone and had several strong tackles, including one that stopped Tyrone Wheatley a yard short of a first down on third down.

"I just want to show the coaching staff I'm capable of going out there and making tackles and covering guys," Hawthorne said.

"I just wanted to go out and play a solid game defensively and I think I did that."

Dallas' first-team defense, which was the NFL's worst against the run last season, held the Raiders, the NFL's best rushing team last season, to 23 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Rich Gannon had 12 yards on a scramble and Charlie Garner, who had 201 yards against Dallas while with San Francisco last season, gained two yards on his only carry.

"We hung in there pretty well with them," defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer said. "We've got a lot of things to correct, but I like this group of guys. They want to play hard, they want to be good."

There were negatives, too.

John Avery, a former first-round pick by Miami and XFL star, committed the penalty that wiped out a 71-yard punt return by Wane McGarity and he gained only 10 yards on six carries. Campo had said he was waiting to see if the lightning-fast Avery could be the playmaker in games that he appeared to be in practice.

Dallas committed 15 penalties for 115 yards, including consecutive false starts by linemen after Dallas took a first down at Oakland's 1-yard line and roughness flags on receiver Damon Hodge and safety Earl Riley.